Recap: "On the Head of a Pin"

Recap: "On the Head of a Pin"

"On the Head of a Pin" was a devastating episode in so many ways. Questions were answered. Dean's self-worth spiraled downward until he hit rock bottom. Meanwhile, we witnessed Sam's secret to his demon-killing success. Plus, a traitor was revealed.

You guys, so much happened in this episode, I really don't know where to start. At the beginning of the hour, Dean was already in a bad way. By the end, he was so much worse. And to borrow a phrase from Dean, Sam was pretty far off the reservation. Uriel was outed as a traitor, Anna made an appearance and we really got to see a lot of Castiel for a change. It wasn't just a minute here or a minute there. This was definitely what I'd call a sweeps-worthy episode.

I'm tired of burying friends, Sam.

I knew something was wrong with Dean the minute things opened up with the brothers in the Impala. Sam was driving. I know he and the Impala got to know each other really well while Dean was in hell, but it was still a little odd to see him behind the wheel. They were just coming back from Pamela's funeral and Dean was talking about how he was sick and tired of losing friends. I was really happy to hear that, because I think we fans have been saying this for a long time. We get attached to a character and then they die. With war comes casualties, but Sam and Dean have lost a lot. While big brother was feeling tired, Sam wanted Dean to get angry. I guess like him? Sam has seemed angry ever since Dean came back. He's been letting that anger fuel his revenge trip against Lilith. And I believe anger was an emotion John was heavily in touch with too. Dean has no problem channeling anger, but it has never been the sole reason why he was a hunter.

That's why we've come to his student.

Someone was killing angels, so Uriel and Castiel decided to enlist Dean and his own special brand of help. In "Death Takes a Holiday," Castiel captured Alistair. The angels had been trying to get the demon to tell them who was killing their brothers and sisters and how, but he wasn't talking. So who better to torture the "Picasso with a knife" than his apprentice? Dean put up a good fight but Uriel wasn't having it. Apparently he was calling all the shots acting on orders from God (or so we thought). It was simply heartbreaking to hear Dean plead with Castiel to not make him torture Alistair.

They sent you to torture me?

You could tell Castiel didn't want to let Dean slice and dice Alistair. But Dean sucked it up, put on his game face and caused Alistair some immense physical pain. Of course, Alistair doled out some of his own psychological torture, which Dean was pretty much able to withstand. That is, until he started talking about John and then the big revelation.